Title of Invention

"A PROCESS FOR THE PREPARATION OF BEVERAGE FROM ROOT OF DECALEPIS HAMILTONII"

Abstract

A process for the preparation of a debittered beverage from root of Decalepis hamiltonii which comprises: (i) Cleaning and washing of D.hamiltonii roots by known methods (ii) Slicing the washed roots optionally removing skin, depithing (iii) Immediate steeping the root slices in anti-oxidant, acidulants solution, comprising of 0.1 - 0.5 % citrate, ascorbate, sorbate gooseberry and lime juice or chitosan and osmoticum for taste (iv) Blanching the roots optionally under pressure of 100-120 psi and at a temperature between 90-100°C (v) Separating the solids to get the clear extract, adding sugar for taste and acidulants for getting acidity in range of 0.7 - 1 % to get debittered beverage in liquid form, optionally drying to get beverage in powder form.

Full Text

The present invention relates to a process for the preparation of a debittered-oeverage from root of Decalepis hamiltonii. The said beverage obtained from roots of Decalepis hamiltonii which is clear having aromatic flavour and ready to serve. The root of Decalepis hamiltonii is a kind of tap root which is commonly known as swallow root. The roots of Decalepis hamiltonii Wt. & Arn. (Family - Asclepiadaceae) are markedly fleshy, cylindrical (1-6 cm. dia.) and are characterised by a sweet sarsaparilla-like taste accompanied by a tingling sensation on the tongue. The roots are pickled with lime or can be used as such. The roots contain 92 % fleshy matter and 8% woody core. The debittered, clear and aromatic root syrup prepared from Decalepis hamiltonii by process of this invention before using can be diluted 3 - 4 volumes with chilled water and can be relished like other fruit beverages. The root syrup is accompanied by excellent pleasing flavour which is very much appetizing and can be used as a remedy for indigestion and it is considered to be an appetizer and blood purifier. The pulp as well as clear juice has some antimicrobial properties so Decalepis hamiltonii pulp or juice can be mixed in other fruit pulp such as mango, banana, papaya and pineapple or juice as an substitute for preservation in various fruit products preparation such as fruit squash, ready - to - serve beverage, fruit bar, fruit jam and jelly. The stability and shelf life of fruit based products can be extended by using Decalepis hamiltonii pulp or juice. There are few prior reports on the debittering of orange juice but our debittering process is entirely different from the earlier prior reports. The orange juice normally gets bitterness due to the presence of some glycosides such as limonin. The efficacy of maltosyl - beta - cyclodextrin (µ - p - CD) and beta - cyclodextrin (p - CD) is responsible for reducing the bitterness of Ivo orange segments decreased as increased amounts of beta - CD or n - CD is added to the syrup. Reference may be made to Kodama M. 1992. Bitterness reduction of syrupped Ivo orange segments with addition of branched cyclodextrin XIX. J. Japanese Soc. Food Sci & Technol. 39 (5): 446 - 450. Wherein the main drawback is with p - CD which is responsible for the heavy precipitation during storage in the fruit syrup when added during debittering of orange segments. In another prior report the debittering of Kinnow mandarin juice by the hydrolysis of limonin using bacterium Rhodococcus fascians (NRRL 15096). In this debittering method the Kinnow mandarin juice with 5% Rhodococcus fascians is responsible for the 60% degradation of limonin at 25°C temperature. Reference may be made to Marwaha SS et al. 1994. Optimization of parameters for hydrolysis of debittering of Kinnow mandarin juice by Rhodococcus fascians. Enzyme and Microbial Technology 16 (8) : 723 - 725. Wherein the Rhodococcus fascians is not viable at commercial level due to its non - stability during storage of juice and also it is not applicable for another type of citrus juice. As indicated in above references the main drawbacks of hither to known processes are: they use chemical components such as p -cyclodextrin and organism such as Rhodococcus fascians. Due to use of cyclodextrin the precipitation of juice takes place. In case of Rhodococcus fascians the shelf life of the juice is only three months. A study of the chemical components of the roots of Decalepls hamiltonii. indicated the presence of several compounds, that include the main volatile principle responsible for aroma and taste, 4-o-methylresorcylaldehyde (0.8%) having melting point 42° and in addition to mosito (0.4%), saponins, tannins, and a -amyrins, lupeols, both free and as esters, a crystalline resin acid (m.p. 245°), an amorphous acid (m.p 180°) and a ketonic substance (m.p.83-84°). Reference may be made to Proc. Indian Acad. Sci. 13 A : 221. There are no prior reports on the process for the preparation of pulp, a debittered, clear and aromatic ready-to-serve beverage from root of Decalepis hamiltonii. The fresh roots on cutting exude latex and on exposure to air turn black due to oxidation of some of the chemical constituents in the root. The roots are known to impart a brownish-black colour when steeped in water, widely believed to due its polyphenols and tannins. In addition, the fresh roots possess astringency which can be detrimental in the preparation of drink. The main object of the present invention is to provide a process for the preparation of a debittered, clear and aromatic ready-to-serve beverage from root of Decalepis hamiltonii which obviates the drawbacks as detailed above. Accordingly the present invention provides a process for the preparation of a debittered beverage from root of Decalepis hamiltonii which comprises : (i) Cleaning and washing of D.hamiltonii roots by known methods (ii) Slicing the washed roots optionally removing skin, depithing (iii) Immediate steeping the root slices in anti-oxidant, acidulants solution, comprising of 0.1 - 0.5 % citrate, ascorbate, sorbate gooseberry and lime juice or chitosan and osmoticum for taste (iv) Blanching the roots optionally under pressure of 100-120 psi and at a temperature between 90-100°C (v) Separating the solids to get the clear extract, adding sugar for taste and acidulants for getting acidity in range of 0.7 - 1 % to get debittered beverage in liquid form, optionally drying to get beverage in powder form. In an embodiment of the present invention, the drying may be effected by spray drying or concentration under vacuum. In an another embodiment of the invention, the osmoticum may be sugar, sodium chloride or potassium chloride and whey. The root flavoured concentrate which has a final acidity ranging between 0.7 - 1.2 % may be diluted in 3 - 4 volumes of chilled or milk to get beverage. The separation of the solids is effected through a muslin cloth (250-300 µm) or mesh sieved (250 - 300(µm), subjecting to centrifugation at 700 - 1000 rpm for 5-10 minutes, and by addition of flocculating agents. The astringency and oxidation of the roots can be prevented to a considerable extent by immediately steeping the root slices in anti-oxidant solution or in osmoticum or using the unpeeled root slices after removal of the woody core. Process of the present invention involves following steps. 500 - 600 g of fresh roots of Decalepis hamiltonii (1.2 ± 0.5 cms thickness) are cleaned off extraneous matter and soil with 1-2 liters of cold water (12°C). The water from the root surface is removed by drying on filter paper. The roots are scraped with a peeler to remove their -outer peel, sliced into 0.5 - 1 cm thick slices. 450-500 g of slices are steeped in 250- 400 ml water for 45-60 minutes. The water is drained and the slices further soaked in 500-750 ml water containing 0.2-0.3% citric or ascorbic acid, any other antioxidant and acidulants. These are then boiled at 90- 100°C for 10-15 minutes and cooled at room temperature. The extract is obtained after filtering through a 200 - 250 µm muslin cloth and the filtrate made up to 1-2 liters with water. To maintain a brix of 60-65°, 700-1000 g of table sugar is added in 100ml of root extract along with 0.8-1.0 % citric acid, 250 ml of water and the solution boiled at 90-95°C for 7-10 minutes and cooled. The root flavoured concentrate is diluted by 3-4 times the volume of chilled water before serving. Alternatively, the fresh sliced root of Decalepis hamiltonii are subjected to removal of the outer peel and woody core or used without removal of peel but after depithing followed by blanching, crushing in Fruit mill, fine pulping in Fryma mill with the addition of decanted root flavoured water which was used for blanching and fine filtering through musline cloth (250 - 275 µm mesh size). Alternatively, the additional of preservative that include potassium metabisulfite (250- 350 ppm) is optional but preferred for long-term storage. Alternatively, the root slices (2-4 kgs) pulped in a mixer at 1000 rpm for 5-10 min. with (4-8 I) water. The fine pulp is filtered and dried in a lyophilizer. The dried pulp is powdered in a mixer and the fine powder is passed through 178-183 mesh sieve to obtain a fine powder that can be packed in metallized polyester pouches. The following examples are given by way of Illustration of the present invention and should not be construed to limit the scope of the present invention. Example 1 500 g of fresh roots of Decalepis hamiltonii (1.2 + 0.5 cms) were cleaned off extraneous matter and soil with 2 liters of cold water (120C). The water from the root surface was removed by drying on filter paper. The roots were scraped with a peeler to remove their outer peel, sliced into 0.5 cm thick slices. 436 g of slices were steeped in 250 ml water for 60 minutes. The water was drained and the slices were further soaked in 500 ml water containing 0.2% citric acid. These were then boiled under pressure at 90°C for 10 minutes and cooled at room temperature. The extract was obtained after filtering through a 250 µm muslin cloth and the filtrate made upto 2 litres with water. To maintain a brix of 65°, 700 g of table sugar was added in 100 ml of root extract along with 0.8% citric acid, 250 ml of water and the solution boiled at 90°C for 7 minutes and cooled with having 1 Lit. yield. The root flavored concentrate was diluted by 3 times the volume of chilled water before serving as a ready - to serve beverage. Example 2 The fresh sliced root of Decalepis hamiltonii Wt. & Arn. as mentioned in Example 1 was subjected to removal of the outer peel and woody core. The roots were sliced into 0.5 to 1 cm thick slices and these were immersed in 0.2% solution of citric acid. These were then boiled at 100°C for 10 minutes and cooled to room temperature. The extract was filtered through a 250 µm muslin cloth and filtrate made upto 2 litres with water. To maintain a brix of 65°, 700 g of table sugar was added along with 0.5% citric acid and the solution boiled at 90°C for 7 minutes. 350 ppm of potassium metabisulfate was added to the concentrate after cooling. The concentrate was diluted by 4 times the volume of chilled water before serving. Example 3 The extract of the fresh, sliced roots of Decalepis hamiltonii Wt. & Arn. as mentioned in example 2 was mixed with half of its volume of gooseberry extract. The 200 g of gooseberry (Phyllanthus emblica) was deseeded and the fleshy fruit wall was finely cut into 3 cm pieces. The pieces were cooked under pressure at 20 psi for 10. minutes. 500 g of fresh roots of Decalepis hamiltonii (1.2 ± 0.5 cms) were cleaned off extraneous matter and soil with 2 liters of cold water (12°C). The water from the root surface was removed by drying on filter paper. The roots were scraped with a peeler to remove their outer peel, sliced into 0.5 cm thick slices. 436 g of slices were steeped in 250 ml water for 60 minutes. The water was drained and the slices were further soaked in 500 ml water containing 0.2% citric acid. These were then boiled under pressure at 90°C for 10 minutes and cooled at room temperature. The extract was obtained after filtering through a 250 µm muslin cloth and the filtrate made upto 2 litres with water 100 ml of the gooseberry extract was added to the root extract and made upto 2 litres with water. To maintain a brix of 65°, 700 g of table sugar was added in 100 ml of root extract containing gooseberry extract, 250 ml of water and the solution boiled at 90°C for 7 minutes and cooled. The concentrate was diluted by 3 times the volume of chilled water before serving. Example 4 The extract of the fresh, sliced roots of Decalepis hamiltonii as mentioned in example 2 was mixed with one-fourth of its volume of lime juice. The pieces were cooked under pressure at 20 psi for 10 minutes. 500 g of fresh roots of Decalepis hamiltonii (1.2 ± 0.5 cms) were cleaned off extraneous matter and soil with 2 liters of cold water (12°C). The water from the root surface was removed by drying on filter paper. The roots were scraped with a peeler to remove their outer peel, sliced into 0.5 cm thick slices. 436 g of slices were steeped in 250 ml water for 60 minutes. The water was drained and the slices were further soaked in 500 ml water containing 0.2% citric acid. These were then boiled under pressure at 95°C for 10 minutes and cooled at room temperature. The extract was obtained after filtering through a 250 jam muslin cloth and the filtrate made upto 2 litres with water 100 ml of the lime juice was added to the root extract and made upto 2 litres of water. To maintain a brix of 65°, 700 g of table sugar was added in 100 ml of root extract containing lime juice, 250 ml of water and the solution boiled at 90°C for 7 minutes and cooled. The concentrate was diluted by 4 times the volume of chilled water before serving. Example 5 500 g of the fresh sliced roots of Decalepis hamiltonii & Arn., were cleaned and dried as mentioned in Example 2 . The outer peel of the roots and its woody core were removed. The roots were sliced and slices were immersed in 0.2% solution of citric acid. These were then boiled at 90°C for 10 minutes and cooled to room temperature to separate extract from the slices by filtering through a 275 ^m muslin cloth. 150 g of slices were finely homogenised in a mixer for 15 minutes at 300 rpm with 300 ml of water and the infusion obtained was made upto 2 litres of water. To maintain a brix of 65°, 700 g of table sugar was added in 100 ml of root extract along with 0.5% citric acid, 250 ml of water and the solution boiled at 90° C for 7 minutes. 350 ppm of potassium metabisulphite was added to the concentrate after cooling at room temperature. The concentrate was diluted with two volumes of water and spray-dried along with 5% liquid glucose and 0.5% tricalcium phosphate. The spray-dried powder was dissolved in three volumes of chilled water before serving. The main advantages of the present invention are: 1. The drink is clear and devoid of bitterness originally present in the root. 2. The beverage is refreshing, appetizing with a pleasant sarasparilla-like taste and with health-imparting attributes. 3. The drink can be kept at room temperature (28 - 35°C) or under refrigeration for more than 12 months without any preservatives. 4. The concentrate can be spray dried to obtain a powder that can be mixed with 2-4 times its volume of chilled water or milk to obtain the desired results. 5. The use of natural acidulants such as gooseberry (Amla) and lime juice is also quite effective for debittering of Decalepis hamiltonii juice and also imparts extra nutritional attributes to the root flavoured syrup. 6. The beverage obtained by this process has antimicrobial activities. We claim: 1. A process for the preparation of a debittered beverage from root of Decalepis hamiltonii which comprises: (i) Cleaning and washing of D.hamiltonii roots by known methods (ii) Slicing the washed roots optionally removing skin, depithing (iii) Immediate steeping the root slices in anti-oxidant, acidulants solution, comprising of 0.1 - 0.5 % citrate, ascorbate, sorbate gooseberry and lime juice or chitosan and osmoticum for taste (iv) Blanching the roots optionally under pressure of 100-120 psi and at a temperature between 90-100°C (v) Separating the solids to get the clear extract, adding sugar for taste and acidulants for getting acidity in range of 0.7 - 1 % to get debittered beverage in liquid form, optionally drying to get beverage in powder form. 2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the osmoticum employed for steeping includes salt solution of sodium, potassium chloride (1-2%), whey (85-90%). 3. A method as claimed in claims 1-2, wherein the separation of the solids is effected through a muslin cloth (250-300µm) or mesh sieved (250 - 300µm), subjecting to centrifugation at 700 - 1000 rpm for 5-10 minutes, and by addition of flocculating agents. 4. A method as claimed in claims 1-3, wherein the root extra.ct is dried in a spray drier or lyophilizer, with or without a clarifying (10%)and anti- caking agent (0.3%-0.5%) and powdered to obtain 178-183 mesh sieve powder that is water or milk soluble. 5. A process for the preparation of a debittered beverage from root of Decalepis hamiltonii, substantially as described herein with reference to the examples.

Documents:

1455-del-1999-abstract.pdf

1455-del-1999-claims.pdf

1455-del-1999-correspondence-others.pdf

1455-del-1999-correspondence-po.pdf

1455-del-1999-description (complete).pdf

1455-del-1999-form-1.pdf

1455-del-1999-form-19.pdf

1455-del-1999-form-2.pdf